Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions

The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (HKFTU) is a communist political party in Hong Kong that was founded on 17 April 1948. By 2017, it had around 410,000 members and 251 affiliates and associated trade unions, making it the largest labor group in Hong Kong; it was one of the oldest unions in the country. The HKFTU had a tradition of following the Communist Party of China's commands, and it took a leading role in the 1967 leftist riots against British rule. During the 1980s, the HKFTU opposed the democratization of Hong Kong, siding with the conservative business elites. In 1992, the HKFTU leaders assisted in the founding of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), a pro-middle-class and pro-professional party that was also loyal to Beijing, but the HKFTU continued to be an independent party, supporting labor and grassroots movements.